Fierstein and Lauper--who indeed looked fabulous in thigh-high, black leather boots with silver metal details up the sides--were joined in the lobby of the Oriental Theatre by director Jerry Mitchell, producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig, and the musical's leads: Stark Sands, Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford and Celina Carvajal.

"Kinky Boots" is based on the 2005 film and follows the adventures of Charlie Price (Sands), who inherits his father's bankrupt shoe factory. In an attempt to save the jobs of the small town folks he grew up with, Charlie reluctantly partners with a London drag queen, Lola (Porter), to convert production from men's dress shoes to drag queen boots.

"I love the story," Lauper said. "It's about real people who saved jobs--which is very relevant to what we're going through today--because they thought outside the box, because they cared enough to save the jobs.

"And they're an unlikely pair, which also shows us that once you get to know a person, you'll find that you have a lot in common, even with someone you think you're the opposite of."

Porter also thinks the story resonates today, but in other ways.

"It's a true bromance between two men with daddy issues--and who doesn't have that?" said Porter, who wore charcoal gray sneakers to the press conference. "One of the characters at the end of the piece says, 'You change the world when you change your mind,' and I just think that's so profound right now. The acceptance of our differences is what actually makes the world a better place."

Producers Roth and Luftig also believed the indie film's timely yet timeless themes, as well as its humor, would translate into a successful musical. So they hired Mitchell to direct it and Fierstein to write the book. Fierstein, a multiple Tony Award-winner for Broadway musicals "Hairspray," "Torch Song Trilogy" and "La Cage aux Folles," suggested '80s pop icon Lauper to write the score.

"I've always known that she loves Broadway, the tradition of a Rodgers and Hammerstein," Fierstein said. "But she has such a range of writing and what she can tell and I think she's never had a chance to really show it. She gets that chance in 'Kinky Boots' and she's done an amazing job. Every character has their own voice. She's giving you a score that's unlike anything you've heard before."

Broadway in Chicago president Lou Raizin used the press conference to point out that "Kinky Boots" is the first production to take advantage of a new Illinois Live Theater Production Tax Credit that assists producers of pre-Broadway and other long-running shows. But co-producer Luftig says the team didn't consider any other city.

"I find the Chicago theatergoers amongst the best in the country," said Luftig, who happened to be wearing leather loafers. "They are smart, savvy theatergoers. They know when something's quality; they know when something is worthy. They're not pushovers and yet they're very kind in knowing that they are part of the process in telling us--the producers, the writers, the director--what is working and what is not."

Fierstein confirmed the "Kinky Boots" team was "thrilled" to be in Chicago, but for more than just the show. "I just came for the shopping, though," he said. "I'll be out there this afternoon."